Agenda - 11-19-2009 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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27 DESIGNING F~ HAPPY OUTCOMES NATURAL LIGHT, CAPTURED RAINWATER AND EFFICIENT BUILDING MATERIALS ENRICH ANIMAL SERVICES CENTER ATMOSPHERE. By1im Compton, AIA, LEED AP, and Reid Highley, AIA, LEED AP SAC ed+c ;NOVEMBER O9 The newly inaugurated Animal Services Center in Orange County, N.C., is home to hundreds of furry friends awaiting the day when they will win somebody's heart and begin life anew in a more permanent home. The 24,000-square-foot facility, which com- binesthe county's animal control and shelter- ing operations under one roof, was designed to maximize the number of happy outcomes for its animal inhabitants. Key to achieving this goat was the creation of an inviting, upbeat atmosphere where prospective pets are ihtro- duced to their adopters. Positive Reinforcement That requirement lent itself to the most obvious green building strategy employed at the facility: the extensive use of daylighting to illuminate interior spaces.The adoption areas, located at the front of the building where they are highly visible, are bathed in light from large groupings of windows.This not only increases animal and worker comfort but also keeps the artificial light- ing requirements for the facility extremely low. Most days, no additional lighting is required in many areas of the building and the lights are turned off. On overcast days or at night when artificial lighting is required, multiple- level switches and occupancy sensors finked to energy-efficient light fixtures keep energy demands in check. Even clinical rooms, buried deep in the facility, benefit from indirect day- lightadmitted by high south-facing clerestory windows. Approximately 90 percent of the animal areas receive some type of direct or indirect daylight. Large areas of glass can be a liability in the south, where summer temperatures regularly rise into the 90s and beyond.The deep roof overhangs, low-E glass and fabric-wrapped alu- minum canopies limit heat gain in the summer while allowing more direct sunlight penetra- tion in the cooler winter months. The Water Dish The most innovative green strategy in use at the facility is not so obvious. Water usage at animal shelters often amounts to millions of gallons annually. This holds true at the Orange County facility where high-pressure spiny wands are used to clean and disinfect the animal runs. To address these demands, the Animal Services Center's water is supplied by two 12,000- gallon concrete cisterns, which store roof-water runoff and well water. The cisterns are located beneath the building's parking lot. Rainwater captured on the roof is piped through vortex filters to remove Large debris. The water level in the cisterns is kept consistent during periods of low rain- fall with the addition of well water; floats contro{ pumps admitting water from both sources. From the cisterns, water is pumped through a series of filters and treatments to TOP: A MULTIPURPOSE ROOM, ATTHE FRONT OFTHE FACILITY, PROVIDES AFTER-HOURS COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACE BOTTOM LEFT: INTERIOR MATERIALS ARE REMINISCENT OF RURAL NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS. BOTTOM RIGHT: MATERIALS INCLUDING CONCRETE AND METAL PANEL PROVIDE DURABLE SURFACES BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. PHOTOS ®JAMES WEST/JWEST PRODUCTIONS LLC.